Overspending on advertising? Here’s the ultimate marketing plan!

Advertising, in the traditional sense, has become increasingly expensive over the years. Budgets are tighter than ever and all businesses (both large and small) are looking for the best ways of saving without losing out on potential customers. In today’s day and age, social media really is the way to go, so before diving in, you need to understand exactly what social media has to offer businesses and how to make the most of every opportunity.

How to encourage engagement

One of your main goals is to get your followers to interact with you and your brand. Engagement is essential since it will help you build brand awareness and create a stronger relationship with your followers. There are a few ways in which you can get people talking, sharing and hitting that Like button:

Ask questions

Post short and simple questions for your followers to answer. Make sure that they are easy to understand and do not leave room for misinterpretation.

Host competitions

Contests and giveaways are great for attracting positive attention. Many businesses stipulate that participants need to Like a particular post, share the post and Like their page in order to be entered into the competition. You can also use special software to ensure that the winners are drawn randomly.

Publish news

Post updates on news articles, current affairs relating to your industry and links to stories published by reputable sources. Make sure that you verify each story before you post it! There’s a lot of fabricated information out there and you need to be careful not to spread any false stories.

Let followers ask questions

Give your customers the opportunity to ask you questions on your page. Answer each of these questions promptly and honestly. Always offer further assistance and provide them with your direct contact details should they need to get in touch.

Credit and tag

When using any kind of content that was published by somebody else, you need to credit the source in order to avoid copyright infringements. When you post to social media, be sure to tag the relevant source in the post as well for good measure. This is great for them and you.

Encourage user-generated content

Encourage your online followers to upload their own content to your page. For example, if you run a hotel, you can have them upload photos of themselves at the pool or enjoying a day at the spa. This kind of content is the most powerful form of advertising since it will be added to your page and the user’s friends will also notice the photo upload.

Interact regularly

Don’t forget to check your social media pages regularly and interact with your followers on a regular basis. Customers really value that one-on-one communication with a senior member of staff or business owner so make sure that you let them know who they are talking to.

Save money on advertising

Why spend more than you need to on advertising? There are plenty of ways far more effective than what some might call traditional forms of advertising.

Curate content

Instead of having to write fresh content on a regular basis, you can use your time to conduct research and curate content from a reputable source instead.

Repurposing content

Just because you posted a piece of content on one platform does not mean that you cannot repurpose it and use it elsewhere. Don’t be afraid of recycling.

User-generated content

As mentioned above, your followers create some of the best and most effective content so get them involved.

Write your own content

If you cannot afford to hire a writer, you should look into doing the writing yourself. If you’re not much of a writer, you can hire the services of an editor to polish your rough work and transform it into something more professional.

Social media guidelines

There are a few rules to remember when using social media for marketing any business. Following these guidelines will ensure greater success now and in the long run.

Choose the right platforms

Choose the platforms where your customers hang out. If most of your target audience uses Facebook and Twitter, then you should focus your efforts on these sites first. If you don’t have a major following on Tumblr, there’s no real point in spending too much time on a platform that won’t attract enough business and engagement.

Engage at the right time of day

Choose the right time to post. Don’t post when your followers are asleep or not online. This will take time to perfect and plenty of trial and error.

Don’t spam your followers

Don’t overdo it! Pace yourself or you will come across as a spammer and people will unfollow or even block you.

Use social media for customer service

Treat your social media profiles as a means for offering customer service. As mentioned above, allow them to ask questions and offer solutions to problems.

Get your employees involved

You don’t need to go it alone. Get your employees involved in content contribution and interaction. Get them to share posts and upload interesting and relevant information.

Find social influencers

Locate the big shots in your industry and engage with them. You can often hitch a ride on their success.

Keep an eye on market trends and, where possible become a trend setter!

Keeping it cheap

With the help of our Vizz WiFi router, you can give your customers access to free WiFi and expand your reach all at the same time. Every time one of your customers accesses your network through the router, they will be prompted to do so by using their social media accounts. They will be added to your network and this will give you the wonderful opportunity of interacting with your actual customers and their online friends and followers.